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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672947">Queensland Hub Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fazcinatingreads/pseuds/fazcinatingreads'>fazcinatingreads</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Football - Fandom, Tom Langdon - Fandom, aussie rules football - Fandom, fun - Fandom, hub life, queensland - Fandom, sunny - Fandom, warm weather - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:01:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26672947</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fazcinatingreads/pseuds/fazcinatingreads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What the boys left behind in Queensland get up to while the main group's in Perth ahead of their first final.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Queensland Hub Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Another perfect day at the Twin Waters hotel. Tom Langdon sat up in his hotel bed, stretched, and gingerly got out of bed. After a quick shower and his morning exercises to strengthen his knee, Tom headed down to the buffet for breakfast. He grabbed a stack of pancakes and a large scooping of fresh strawberries and joined Ben Reid and his wife Erin at a table.</p><p>"It's so nice not having to fight for the last pancake," Tom mused, eating a large forkful of pancake dripping with maple syrup, "And a full bowl of strawberries! Amazing."</p><p>Ben laughed. "And no queue for the egg chef!" he said, cutting into his omelette.</p><p>They continued eating, and then Geoff Walsh came running into the room. "Has anyone seen Broomy?" he said, frantically, "I knocked on his door and there was no answer!" He looked around the tables, mostly wifes and girlfriends milling about, kids running everywhere.</p><p>Tom and Ben were baffled, and both shook their heads. Geoff headed outside.</p><p>"So, Ben, how's retirement?" Tom asked.</p><p>"It's very liberating," Ben said, grinning, and glanced over at Erin, "What do we do today, honey? Explore more of Queensland?"</p><p>Erin swallowed a mouthful of yogurt and chia. "Sure," she said, smiling at Ben.</p><p>"Have you thought about your own future?" Ben asked Tom, kindly. Understanding.</p><p>Tom put his head down and glumly pushed a strawberry through the remaning syrup on his plate. "I don't know," Tom said, half-shrugging.</p><p>After breakfast, Tom went outside in the sunshine and decided to call his little brother. Chatting with Ed always put him in a good mood, so he found a sunny spot by the pool and called Ed.</p><p>"Hey Tommy!" Ed answered happily when he picked up.</p><p>"Hey Edward," Tom said, smiling at the sound of his brother's voice. "You still up in Airlie Beach?"</p><p>"Yeah, just trying to soak up as much sunshine as I can," Ed said, joyfully, "Yesterday I tried stand up paddle boarding. Nat told me it was really good, they did it up in Cairns."</p><p>"Nat? Are you still talking to him?" Tom asked.</p><p>"Yeah," Ed said, defensively, "We're best friends. We talk every day, you know that."</p><p>"You know he just wants you back," Tom said, warningly, "You have to let him go. Have you hung out much with your Melbourne friends?"</p><p>Ed sighed. "Yeah, Marty invited me to Noosa but I thought I'd just be a third wheel," he said, "They've just started opening up the entertainment venues here. I saw a band playing last night. There was a cute girl playing the tambourine."</p><p>"So the tambourine does it for you?" Tom asked, teasingly.</p><p>"I think so, Tommy, I think so," Ed replied.</p><p>"Any good bands playing tonight?" Tom asked.</p><p>"Nah, I think there's a comedy act tonight. Doesn't sound interesting," Ed said.</p><p>"You might like it! You liked that comedian we saw last year... what's his name? Carl something?" Tom said.</p><p>"Carl Barron," Ed answered.</p><p>They chatted for awhile, discussing plans for the summer ahead, what mountains they'd like to climb, and Ed easing Tom's fears over his football future.</p><p>"It'll be alright, Tommy," Ed said, sincerely, "Listen, I gotta go, it's nearly lunchtime and I have to decide where to eat."</p><p>"Alright," Tom said, "choose wisely. See ya, talk soon." They both hung up. Tom stood up from the lounge chair and headed inside to the buffet. When he entered the mess hall, he saw Geoff Walsh at one of the tables, drinking a black coffee and one hand on his forehead. </p><p>"Rough day?" Tom asked, sitting opposite Geoff.</p><p>"I called Tim's phone and his girlfriend picked up," Geoff said, sounding exhausted. "I finally got it out of her that he had stowed away in Brodie's bag. I assume he's run off in Perth and started a new life. We never should've told him that we were delisting him."</p><p>Tom snorted. "Come on, Geoff," he said, "it's Broomy. He's probably holed up in a hotel room playing video games or trailing Brodie like a puppy dog."</p><p>Geoff just shook his head, shrugging.</p><p>Tom stood up and went to see what the lunch options were. Jax was at the toaster, grabbing his toast. Before he could put it on his plate, he fumbled it and it fell on the floor into a puddle of water. </p><p>"It's wet toast now," Tom said, chuckling. </p><p>Jax's face fell and he lifted the piece of toast into the bin nearby. Tom helped him make another toast and gave the boy a hair ruffle. "Good boy, Jaxy," Tom said, watching the kid take his plate of smashed avo toast to his mum's table and start eating. Tom wiped away a tear and thought about how much he'll miss Jax when hub life is over.</p>
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